How to Build Trust Working With Remote Teams

Build Trust Working With Remote Teams

Leading a team used to mean walking around the office, catching quick conversations by the coffee machine, noticing when someone seemed off, or spontaneously chatting after a meeting.

But… Well… Things change. And now, the coffee machine is over the many different houses of our remote team members that we can’t catch up with a walk.

You sit in front of a screen, face appears in and out of meetings, and chat windows fill with short, sometimes cold messages.

You manage across time zones, cultures, and sometimes through complete silence.

Remote work is not new anymore.

It is the new normal. Even though some challenges and things that must be improved, it is the reality. It doesn’t matter much how conservative you are about that.

According to a study from McKinsey, flexible work arrangements are one of the top three factors people consider when choosing jobs.

Remote and hybrid are not going away. They are here to stay.

But here’s the hard part: trust, which is already fragile in the best circumstances, is even harder to build when your team is spread across cities, countries, or even continents.

Gallup’s same research shows that only 24% of remote employees strongly agree that their manager keeps them informed.

And when communication gaps happen, trust is usually the first thing to quietly fall apart.

In our last conversation, we talked about how emotional intelligence is becoming non-negotiable for digital leaders.

Today, we need to go deeper.

Emotional intelligence helps you notice when something feels off.

Building trust helps you fix it before it becomes a real problem.

Why Trust is the Real Game-Changer

Trust is not a nice bonus in a team. It is the foundation.

Without it, collaboration slows down. Risks go unspoken. Feedback dries up. Innovation disappears.

Work still gets done, sure, but it is mechanical. People do the minimum because that is what feels safe.

Charles Feltman, in The Thin Book of Trust, defines trust very simply: trust is choosing to make something you value vulnerable to another person’s actions.

Every time your team shares ideas, admits a mistake, or asks for help, they are trusting you. And you are trusting them when you delegate, when you share context, when you believe they will own the outcomes.

Stephen M.R. Covey, in The Speed of Trust, makes it even sharper: trust is the one thing that changes everything.

Teams with high trust move faster, handle more complexity, and recover from mistakes more easily than teams low in trust.

And in remote teams, trust is not just important. It is everything.

What Breaks Trust in Remote Teams

Here is something most leaders are never taught: trust does not usually break because of one big betrayal. It dies day by day because of dozens of small missed moments.

A team member asks a question in chat, and no one responds.

A deadline is missed, and nobody talks about why.

Decisions are made behind closed doors, and updates come too late.

Someone struggles silently because they feel no one would care enough to help.

Remote work naturally amplifies these moments.

You cannot see hesitation in someone’s eyes during a video call.

You cannot hear the worry in someone’s voice if all you get is a short Slack message.

You cannot accidentally bump into someone and fix a misunderstanding in two minutes.

When you do not actively build trust remotely, it tends to fade without anyone noticing… Until it is too late.

That is why remote leaders must lead differently.

You cannot rely on physical presence to maintain a connection.

You have to be intentional, deliberate, and human, even through screens.

Trust is Built in Small Moments: The 7-Crucial-Moves Framework

Trust is not built with grand speeches or flashy leadership moves.

It is built quietly, over time, in the small, invisible moments that either strengthen or weaken relationships.

Here are seven crucial moves that will help you build and sustain trust with your remote team over time.

1. Be Visible, Not Just Available

Remote leaders often say, “My door is always open.” But in practice, that is not enough. Your team needs to see you, hear from you, and feel your presence regularly, not just when they have a problem big enough to bring forward.

Visibility is not about micromanaging. It is about being a steady part of the team’s daily rhythm. Pop into team chats. Comment on progress updates. Host short video calls without an agenda sometimes. When you are present, trust grows quietly in the background.

2. Communicate Expectations Clearly

Remote work does not forgive assumptions. If you are not crystal clear about what you expect, your team will fill in the gaps themselves, and everyone will fill them differently.

Set clear goals, timelines, and roles. Clarify what “done” looks like. Repeat key messages more than you think you need to. Clarity is kindness. It reduces anxiety, creates stability, and prevents frustration from misunderstandings.

3. Respond Promptly and Thoughtfully

In remote setups, silence often feels like indifference. If someone reaches out, even if you do not have the answer yet, acknowledge them. A quick “Got it, let me check and get back to you” can do more to build trust than a polished update three days later.

Speed matters, but thoughtfulness matters even more. Remote teams do not need leaders who react quickly without thinking. They need leaders who respond with care.

4. Recognize Effort and Wins Consistently

One of the biggest hidden dangers in remote work is the invisibility of effort. People work hard behind the scenes, but it can feel like no one notices. Over time, that drains energy and loyalty.

Make it a habit to recognize small wins publicly. Thank people for their effort, not just for their results. Celebrate progress milestones, not just final deliveries. Recognition fills the emotional gaps that remote work naturally creates.

5. Be Honest About Bad News Early

It is tempting to delay bad news, hoping it will fix itself. But bad news hidden in silence grows bigger in people’s imaginations. And trust erodes every time the team feels blindsided.

When something goes wrong, when timelines slip, when goals change, be the first to talk about it. Name the issue simply. Invite collaboration on solutions. Early honesty is an investment in long-term trust.

6. Create Space for Real Conversations

Task check-ins are important, but they are not enough. Trust grows when people feel seen as humans, not just workers. Make space for non-transactional conversations.

Start meetings with a quick “How is everyone doing?” that you actually mean. Schedule occasional one-on-ones that are not about projects but about growth, goals, and challenges. People open up when they feel you care beyond their output.

7. Model Trust by Extending It First

Waiting for your team to “earn” your trust can backfire. Trust works best when you offer it first. Assume positive intent. Give people room to own their work. Trust their expertise and judgment.

Yes, you might get burned once in a while. But more often, you will invite people to rise to the level of the trust you give them. And that kind of environment builds strong, resilient teams.

Common Mistakes Leaders Make When Trying to Build Trust

Even with good intentions, it is easy to slip into habits that quietly burn trust, especially when you are leading remotely.

And because remote work removes many natural feedback loops (like body language, hallway chats, casual check-ins) you might not even realize the damage until it is already done.

Here are some of the most common mistakes leaders make without meaning to:

Assuming silence means agreement

In a remote meeting, nobody pushes back, nobody questions the plan. It feels like everyone agrees. But silence usually hides confusion, hesitation, or lack of trust. If people do not feel safe, they will nod along just to survive the call. A real leader does not settle for silence. They create space where different opinions feel welcome.

Treating one-on-ones like status updates

When every check-in is about tasks and deadlines, people start feeling like resources, not humans. Over time, that empties the emotional bank account between you and your team. One-on-ones should also be a place to talk about goals, frustrations, ambitions, and even personal wins.

Overloading communication channels without a true connection

Sending a flood of emails, updates, and dashboards does not build trust. Information is not a connection. People need to feel that you see them, not just that you are informing them. Short, real moments of care, like a quick DM, a personal note, often matter more than long corporate updates.

Trying to “fix” trust with a single big event.
Trust is not built with an all-hands meeting, a virtual happy hour, or a motivational speech. Those things can help if trust already exists. But if the foundation is shaky, they can feel forced or fake. Trust grows in the small, daily interactions, or it does not grow at all.

As a leader, you are going to make some of these mistakes.

It is part of the learning curve.

What matters is noticing, adjusting, and being willing to recover when needed.

Trust is a Daily Practice, Not a One-Time Event

Some days you will get it right.

You will have a great conversation, you will celebrate a win properly, and you will catch a small problem before it grows.

Other days, you will miss a signal, forget to follow up, or get buried in your deadlines.

That is normal. What builds lasting trust is not being perfect.

It is showing your team that you care enough to keep trying.

As I always share… consistency is key!

Trust is not a one-and-done achievement.

It is a pattern you create, one day, one conversation, one decision at a time.

And when trust is strong, everything else, collaboration, innovation, and performance, becomes easier and more natural.

If you are reading this and thinking, “I might have lost some trust with my team,” that is not a reason to panic.

It is an invitation to start again. Small moves, done consistently, can rebuild even shaky foundations.

And if you already have strong trust?

Then treat it like gold. Protect it. Nurture it.

It is one of the most valuable assets you have as a leader.

One Step You Can Take Today

Let’s not just talk about trust. Let’s build it.

Before today ends, pick one person on your team, just one.

Send them a simple message, nothing formal, no hidden agenda.

Ask, “How are you doing? Anything I can support you with this week?”

Not about deliverables.

Not about deadlines.

Just about them as humans.

I am incredibly grateful that you have taken the time to read this post.

Support my work by sharing my content with your network using the sharing buttons below.

Want to show your support and appreciation tangibly?

Creating these posts takes time, effort, and lots of coffee—but it’s totally worth it!

If you’d like to show some support and help keep me stay energized for the next one, buying me a virtual coffee is a simple (and friendly!) way to do it.

Do you want to get new content in your Email?

Do you want to check previous Book Notes?

Do you want to check previous Articles?

Check my main categories of content below:

Navigate between the many topics covered in this website:

Agile Agile Coaching Agile Transformation Art Artificial Intelligence Blockchain Books Business Business Tales C-Suite Career Coaching Communication Creativity Culture Cybersecurity Decision Making Design DevOps Digital Transformation Economy Emotional Intelligence ESG Feedback Finance Flow Focus Gaming Generative AI Goals GPT Habits Harvard Health History Innovation Kanban Large Language Models Leadership Lean Learning LeSS Machine Learning Magazine Management Marketing McKinsey Mentorship Metaverse Metrics Mindset Minimalism MIT Motivation Negotiation Networking Neuroscience NFT Ownership Paper Parenting Planning PMBOK PMI PMO Politics Portfolio Management Productivity Products Program Management Project Management Readings Remote Work Risk Management Routines Scrum Self-Improvement Self-Management Sleep Social Media Startups Strategy Team Building Technology Time Management Volunteering Web3 Work

Support my work by sharing my content with your network using the sharing buttons below.

Want to show your support tangibly? A virtual coffee is a small but nice way to show your appreciation and give me the extra energy to keep crafting valuable content! Pay me a coffee:

Tags

Join the newsletter and don't miss new content